𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 81

CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH HARRY 
ASKS AVIANA FOR 
ADVICE

. . .

"Aviana." Harry appeared opposite her, from where she sat at a table in the library almost entirely immersed in a History of Magic essay they had been set for homework, a couple days later.

"...Potter," Aviana looked up eventually, her quill - which Harry noticed was rather, elaborately, a albino peacock feather with brushes of gold. "What can I help you with today? Granger hasn't come up with more elaborate plans to free perfectly happy house-elves has she?"

"No, except this is to do with a house-elf, if you don't mind."

"History of Magic is boring, anyway." Aviana replied, as she pushed aside her work. That didn't matter at all, particularly, in fact she had been looking for something to distract her. Whatever Harry had come up with this time, is was much more worthy of her attention that Binns. She had stopped going to his lessons anyway. "What about house-elves?" She asked. "Granger's not recruited you to ask me to make some of those stupid hats, has she?"

"Why are you so insistent on this being about freeing house-elves?" Harry asked. "I swear, Hermione's not using me to get to you about S.P.E.W... I know you don't agree with it."

"Listen, I think it would be a great idea if this was a new, forceful thing." Aviana said plainly. "It's just that it's absolutely pointless and a complete waste of her time. Yes, Dobby and Winky might be free but Winky is-"

"Drinking constantly."

"Yeah, it's awful to see." Aviana knitted her fingers together. "Dobby might be happy but most house elves will react exactly like Winky will. For centuries their singular purpose has been to serve wizards and to be punished when they don't do that. And to trick them out of this is completely immoral." She shook her head.

"Speaking of Dobby, he brought Hedwig back last night."

Aviana nodded slowly. "All better?"

"Yeah, she's fine."

"Good." Aviana smiled, chin resting on her up turned palm. "So, if it's not about S.P.E.W.," she began, "then what's it about? It's not something with Umbridge right, because now I know you have the cloak I have a pretty long list of ideas."

Harry grinned. He had the seen the list, albeit very briefly, poking out of a textbook in her bag the other day. There were little ideas, it seemed, and more elaborate plans - and he was sure that he had seen something about sneaking into her office and stealing cat plates near the top. That was most certainly and interesting idea. But, with an idea for the topic of conversation forefront in his mind, he couldn't delve any further away from it; needed to stay on topic, couldn't ask about anything, let alone allow himself to be distracted by the brilliance of her commitment to annoying Umbridge.

"Unfortunately, it's not." Harry replied. He leant forward, elbows on the table as he met her eyes. "What do you know about the Room of Requirement?" He asked.

Interest sparked in her eyes. "The Room of Requirement?" She repeated, and he nodded. "What do you want to know."

"Anything. Everything. When I asked Dobby he only told me about how he used it to help Winky when she got too drunk." Harry replied.

"Ah, I see." Aviana sat up, more than happy to help. "Well, it's known as the Room of Requirement because essentially, it's just that - a room that appears when Required. It's up on the seventh floor, the left corridor, opposite the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry - the troll ballet one? I used to use it when Draco pissed me off and I didn't have the idea of making out with people yet."

"And it just... appears?" Harry asked. 

"It's almost like Grimmauld Place." Aviana replied, with a shrug. "You have to summon it. Picture what you need, specifics, Potter, you need specifics or else you'll end up with a broom cupboard or something. Then you stand in front of it, walk by the wall three times and a door should appear. Exactly opposite the tapestry." 

"Exactly opposite." Harry repeated, and Aviana watched as his gaze landed, unfocused, on the bookshelf to her right, clearly trying to consider things. "I just-" he began.

"...Thought it would be good for the gatherings?" Aviana added, and watched as he nodded.

"Yeah." 

"I kinda wish I thought of it first, actually." She hummed, head tilted as she looked over at him. There seemed to be some inkling, an idea slowly growing in her mind that she did have some sway with him - that he actually valued her opinion even though most of it was made through increasingly catty comments. "It's a good idea... the door doesn't appear to anyone else when it's already in use, so it's pretty much perfect" She smiled, still watching him. "do you think it will work?

"I..." Harry trailed off without even thinking about it, gaze resting gently upon her, "...think so." He quickly added. "I should go tell Hermione..." He said, although he made no effort to stand up. "Er, what's this Binns essay?" He asked. 

"For fuck's sake, Harry." Aviana sighed, reaching down to her bag and pulling out an extra quill and a sheet of parchment, shifting her chair closer closer to place it before him - so close their shoulders were brushing - and began to write out the title. Harry watched as she wrote.

Her hair smelt like cherries.

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